7 Reasons to Stop Hand-Scrubbing Your Sneakers

If sneaker day means a toothbrush at the sink or a washer that thuds across the floor, the problem isn't washing them. It's washing them loose.

1. Clean sneakers without the Saturday scrub

The muddy sneakers by the door, an old toothbrush and a sink full of gray water: that's a lot of Saturday mornings.

And the shoes still don't look like they did, because you can only scrub so long.

2. No more thudding, walking washer

Throw sneakers in loose and every turn of the drum is a thud. On the spin, some machines start to walk.

Laces come out knotted around the agitator, or not at all. The pillowcase trick helps a little, until it unknots.

3. Padding and a closed bag change the wash

Zip the shoes into a bag with thick padded sides and the impact softens: the shoes hit padding, not the drum.

Soft bristles inside rub against the shoes as the bag tumbles, so the cycle does the scrubbing. Laces and insoles go in the bag too.

4. Laces, insoles and shoes in one place

Pull the laces and insoles, put everything in the bag, zip it closed.

Cold, gentle cycle. When it's done, unzip and let the shoes air dry.

See the Buy 1, Get 1 Free offer

5. An honest note on which shoes and how

Straight talk: this is for canvas, mesh and knit sneakers. Leather, suede and glued or structured shoes should not go in a washing machine at all. Check the care label.

Use a cold, gentle cycle and air dry; heat can weaken glue and warp soles. The bag cuts the banging a lot, but the wash won't be silent, and any machine washing adds some wear over time.

6. One adult pair or two kids' pairs

Each bag holds one pair of adult sneakers, up to about men's 12, or two pairs of kids' shoes.

That makes the second bag useful straight away: one for your sneakers, one for the muddy school pairs.

7. Buy 1, Get 1 Free, with 30 days to decide

Every order is Buy 1, Get 1 Free: two bags for $20, which is $10 a bag. Big family? 4 bags are $40 and 6 are $60.

If it isn't right for you, contact us within 30 days of your order for a full refund.